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Aggressive ‘street teams’ spotted in South Carolina suspected of crimes in several states

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Updated: 5:21 PM CDT Apr 20, 2017

Aggressive ‘street teams’ spotted in South Carolina suspected of crimes in several states

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Updated: 5:21 PM CDT Apr 20, 2017

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. —

Authorities in South Carolina have issued a warning about a country rap musician’s “street teams” in the area that they say are aggressively targeting people in parking lots and at gas stations.

Simpsonville police spoke to WYFF News 4 on Thursday and confirmed that they warned people in a Facebook post about Mikel Knight, also known as Jason Cross or Jason Michael Cross.

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They say Knight hires people known as the Maverick Dirt Road Street Teams to travel the country selling his country rap music. Police said Knight has a criminal past and team members have been linked to various types of criminal activity in several states, police said.

A quick Google search finds warnings about Knight’s teams from police agencies in Maine, New York State, Michigan, Alabama, Connecticut, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Texas and others.

YouTube videos posted by former team members claim they were overworked and pressured by Knight and his team leaders to meet sales quotas, and threatened with physical violence or abandonment on the road if they didn’t.

Some former members say they were run out of county after county for illegal solicitation and peddling, and that though Knight makes some charitable donations, the movement abuses many of the people who join the team, and ignores laws and ordinances. One former member called the team a “hick-hop cult.”

Knight denies the claims, attributing then to disgruntled ex-employees who are telling lies to sully his reputation.

Police said team members are known to be aggressive while approaching people in parking lots before they can get into their cars. The team members often ask people for personal information, police said. Some of those targeted are encouraged to join the team.

Investigators said Knight’s van and buses have been spotted in parking lots around the country for years. Most recently, team members have approached people in parking lots in Simpsonville, and at gas stations in Duncan in Spartanburg County, and in Greer and Taylors in Greenville County. The most recent sighting was on Tuesday.

Some people in the area say they have been approached by multiple men in an older-model black Ford Explorer who are connected to Knight.

“it was the middle of the day -- 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Very busy day.” Alisha Ackerman said. “I was scared something was going to happen to us. It was nerve-wracking. I didn’t really know what was going on.”

But not everyone who spoke to WYFF News 4 was frightened by the interaction.

“They never got out of their vehicle,” Kerri Smith, of Simpsonville, said. “They were loud – guy hanging out the window. I never felt threatened.”

Smith was also approached in the middle of the day. She was at a car show.

“They drove down here and stopped and said, ‘Hey, want to buy a CD?’ and I think the most intimidating part was there was several of them in the vehicle -- probably five,” she said.

“I’ve been approached for money and people panhandling, but never to sell a product. It is unusual.”

Police said other teams are driving Chevrolet passenger vans with Knight advertisements all over them. The license plates on the vans are from Tennessee, police said.

Simpsonville police are warning people to be cautious if approached by team members and to not provide personal information or agree to travel with them.

“We believe it is in your best interest to avoid these people completely,” the post said.

Saving Country Music posted a story in May 2015 titled “The Sound of Deception: Country Rap’s Mikel Knight and His Notorious Street Teams,” in which the reporter listed the arrests of several team members and accusations of abuse against Knight.

“Allegations and stories about the practices of Mikel Knight and the Maverick Dirt Road Street Team go beyond being overworked and circumventing local ordinances,” the article said. “Stories of physical abuse, mental anguish, individuals being abandoned in small towns, and even the death of street team members in auto accidents after being overworked have been circulating for the last year. Yet Mikel Knight seems to still enjoy superstar status in certain circles (partly because he presents such a high-profile persona through his vehicles), and few questions have been raised about what is really behind Mikel Knight and his street teams.”

In response to the article, Knight posted on his Facebook page 2015: “Cyberbullying is illegal and against the law. So is wasting the PDs time searching for crimes that don’t exist. When this happens to someone you love you will hate it as much as we do.

“We do have the best law firm in Nashville representing us, and we have already filed suit against several people. But there is a waiting period which we are in before we give the final blow to them. But every last one of the administrators of the hate page is being served with lawsuits, plus three TV stations, one police department and one website.”

Simpsonville police said if anyone is confronted by team members or has any issues with them, they should call police at 864-967-9536, or call 911 if it is an emergency.